Sunday, September 04, 2011

Caveat pollster

The Globe is out with a poll this morning that says Scott Brown is vulnerable if Democrats can find the right candidate. That and five bucks will get you a coffee at Starbucks.

Surveying voters one year out from an election is an exercise in lazy journalism. Hey, it's a long holiday weekend and stories are scarce. What should we do? I know, let's take a poll!

Pollsters found voters knew little about potential Democrats, no surprise since most of them are faceless names who have never run statewide if they have run at all. Alan Khazei, for example, would rate well after the recent unmasking of the KrazyKhazei Twitter effort generated more attention to his campaign this time around than his actual campaign.

But Vennochi has a point, since those same pollsters found Warren is unknown to 60 percent of those surveyed.

So here's a suggestion -- crank up the barbecue and flip open any cold one of your choice and ignore the poll. It's as relevant as a three-dollar bill more than a full year before voters might actually begin to pay attention.